Selecting Forage Insurance with Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation

The Forage Insurance Program offered through Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) is for producers who rely on forage for seed, sale or feed. There are a number of crops insurable under this program including tame hay, dehydrated alfalfa, sweetclover and greenfeed. Additional choices such as Establishment Benefit, Forage Diversification and a Timothy Hay option are also made available under this program.

SCIC provides coverage choices to help build custom-fit insurance for any farm. Producers can customize their forage insurance to their operation by selecting low, base, variable or in-season price options. The variable and in-season price options can help producers manage price fluctuations that occur throughout and after the growing season.   Producers can choose from a wide range of coverage level options available. These options include 50, 60, 70 and 80 per cent.

 Regardless of your operation, SCIC has several options that meet your forage insurance needs.  Alfalfa seed may be insured under a specific yield-loss option available through SCIC’s Multi-Peril Program. Red Clover, rye grass, millet and other forage seed crops are eligible for coverage through the Diversification Option.

 If you would like more information about forage insurance, visit a Saskatchewan Crop Insurance office or saskcropinsurance.com. The deadline to sign up, renew or cancel forage insurance is March 31, 2015.

To view the full article, including 2015 insured prices and forage insurance program option, click here.

Posted March 17, 2015

Governments Announce $3.8 Million for Livestock and Forage Research

January 21, 2015 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Today Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart announced nearly $3.8 million in funding for 30 livestock and forage research projects. Funding is provided through the province's Agriculture Development Fund (ADF).

Some of the projects to receiving funding include research to improve cow and calf performance through diet, develop new forage lines to extend the spring grazing season and investigate options for recycling baler twine and net wrap. Three projects will look at controlling Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED), a virus that does not pose a risk to human health or food safety but can cause significant death in pig herds.

Third party support contributes additional funds to many of these ADF projects, with several industry partner organizations committing an amount totalling nearly $1.2 million. Co-funding groups include Western Grains Research Foundation, SaskMilk and Sask Pork, among others.

To read the complete Government of Canada News Release, click here .

February 4, 2015

Investment in Research to Strengthen the Forage Seed Industry

January 22, 2014 – Beaverlodge, Alberta – Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

On behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux and MP Chris Warkentin (Peace River) today announced an investment of over $923,000 to the Peace Region Forage Seed Association (PRFSA) which will improve seed production and quality, as well as the economic and environmental sustainability of crops within Canada. These improvements will deliver more value to producers and help meet the growing demand for forage seed both domestically and internationally.

Under this project, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researchers will collaborate with industry on a number of activities to help the sector. Research will be done on how incorporating forage seed production within annual crop rotations can increase value for producers; evaluating the seed yield potential of forage and turf grass varieties in western Canada, and examining ways to increase the quality of grass and legume seed crops in Canada.

Today’s investment is made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInnovation Program, a five-year, up to $698-million initiative under Growing Forward 2. The Program’s industry-led research and development stream supports pre-commercialization research, development and knowledge transfer leading to innovative agriculture, agri-food, and agri-based practices, processes, and products.

To read the complete Government of Canada News Release, click here .

February 4, 2015

Grazing Response Index (GRI) Factsheet

The Saskatchewan Forage Council in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are currently undertaking an ADOPT (Agriculture Demonstration of Practices and Technologies), which will demonstrate the use of the grazing response index on Saskatchewan pastures.